Does Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Contribute to Functional Dyspepsia

The prevalence of functional dyspepsia (FD) is estimated to be 15% of the adult population. FD is commonly described as a condition of chronic abdominal discomfort localized to the upper abdomen. Postprandial bloating, pain, nausea, vomiting, belching, and early satiety are common symptoms of the FD patient. FD is defined by >12 weeks of symptoms, which need not be consecutive, within the preceding year consisting of a) persistent or recurrent dyspepsia and b) an absence of organic disease after a gastrointestinal endoscopy or x-ray series. FD is therefore considered a disorder of function because no mucosal pathology is seen in these patients, as in patients with other functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia (FM). There is a remarkable degree of overlap among these three disorders. These 3 disorders share the finding of hypersensitivity and the symptom of postprandial bloating to suggest the possibility of a common origin.